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User blog:Australopithecusman/Top 10 Cryptid Insects, Bugs, Germs and other Invertebrates
Among the least studied, known and understood cryptids are the arthropods and invertebrates, including Insects, Worms, Crustaceans, Spiders, Scorpions, Protists, Slime Molds and microscopic lifeforms (diseases). Here are the top ten of these forgotten cryptids. Get ready for some serious bugs! #10 Lambton Worm The Lambton Worm is a legend from North East England in the UK. The story takes place around the River Wear, and is one of the area's most famous pieces of folklore, having been adapted from written and oral tradition into pantomime and song formats.The story states that the young John Lambton was a rebellious character who missed his duties to go fishing in the River Wear. John Lambton does not catch anything until the time the church service finishes, at which point he fishes out a small eel- or lamprey-like creature with nine holes on each side of its salamander-like head. Depending on the version of the story the worm is no bigger than a thumb, or about 3 feet long. In some renditions it has legs, while in others it is said to more closely resemble a snake. At this point the old man returns, although in some versions it is a different character. John declares that he has caught a demon and decides to dispose of his catch by discarding it down a nearby well. The old man then issues further warnings about the nature of the beast. John then forgets about the creature and eventually grows up. As a penance for his rebellious early years he joins the crusades. Eventually the worm grows extremely large and the well becomes poisonous. The villagers start to notice livestock going missing and discover that the fully-grown worm has emerged from the well and coiled itself around a local hill. In some versions of the story the hill is Penshaw Hill, that on which the Penshaw Monument now stands, but locally the credit goes to the nearby Worm Hill, in Fatfield. In most versions of the story the worm is large enough to wrap itself around the hill 7 times. It is said that one can still see the marks of the worm on Worm Hill. The worm terrorises the nearby villages, eating sheep, preventing cows from producing milk and snatching away small children. It then heads towards Lambton Castle where the Lord (John Lambton's aged father) manages to sedate the creature in what becomes a daily ritual of offering the worm milk of nine good cows, twenty gallons, or a filled wooden/stone trough. A number of brave villagers try to kill the beast but are quickly dispatched. When a chunk is cut off the worm it simply reattaches the missing piece. Visiting knights also try to assault the beast but none survives. When annoyed the worm would uproot trees by coiling its tail around them. It then created devastation by waving around the uprooted trees like a club. The story is set (apparently) in AD 1200-1300. #9 Air Rods One of the most controversial subjects in cryptozoology today are the "rods", high-speed insect-like lifeforms said to fly through our skies. many people think, mistakenly, that rods were fabricated by a man named Jose who filmed some blurred insects in Mexico. his videos were blatent fakes, but subsequent films and countless eyewitness reports aren't fake. I myself have observed rods, and under the circumstances I have been able to come up with a comprehensive theory explaining their existence. Though many alleged videos and stills of rods merely show blurred insects or smudges, and some show cloud activity, many others show the creatures themselves. Rods represent an entire class of arthropods, some of which have a series of small wings along their sides ("ghost centipede"?), while others have a continous "membrane" with which to fly. I will go in to considerable depth on this subject later. #8 Japanese "Germs" of the 16th Century Long ago in Japan, human illness was commonly believed to be the work of tiny malevolent creatures inside the body. Harikikigaki, a book of medical knowledge written in 1568 by a now-unknown resident of Osaka, introduces 63 of these creepy-crawlies and describes how to fight them with acupuncture and herbal remedies. The Kyushu National Museum, which owns the original copy of Harikikgaki, claims the book played an important role in spreading traditional Chinese medicine in Japan. Here are a few of the beasties found in the book. 'Gyochu & Haimush' Gyochu, a deadly critter responsible for leprosy, acts as a messenger to the underworld. On the night of Koshin-no-hi (an important date occurring every 60 days on the Chinese calendar), Gyochu leaves the body to visit Enma-daio (Lord of the Underworld) and tell him of your misdeeds. Enma-daio is known to punish people for bad behavior by reducing their remaining time on earth. Haimushi, a creature with an appetite for rice, causes problems with the lungs. If the Haimushi exits the lungs and cannot find its way back, it turns into a fiery will-o'-wisp (hitodama) and the person dies. The herb byakujutsu is effective in warding off Haimushi. 'Kanshaku' Kanshaku, an angry-faced bug found in the liver, aggravates its host by violently thrusting itself upward toward the chest cavity. Infected people tend to shout with rage or engage in activities to blow off steam, and they crave acidic food and avoid eating oily food. Acupuncture can stop Kanshaku. 'Hizo-no-kesshaku & Kanmushi' Hizo-no-kesshaku causes problems with the spleen, but it can be cured by ingesting shazenji (plantago seed). Kanmushi is a harmful parasite that embeds itself in the spine, causing it to curve backward. Infected people also develop an appetite for spicy food. The herbs mokko (Saussureae radix) and byakujutsu (Atractylodes macrocephala Koidz) are effective in fighting off Kanmushi. 'Hizo-no-kasamushi & Akuchu' Hizo-no-kasamushi, a worm found in the spleen, causes its host to gain or lose weight based on the amount of food it eats. The herbs agi (giant fennel) and gajutsu (purple turmeric) are effective in controlling Hizo-no-kasamushi. Akuchu, also found in the spleen, consumes rice eaten by the host. Drinking mokko is an effective antidote. 'Haishaku & Kakuran-no-mushi' Haishaku, a critter found in the upper lungs, has a nose that opens directly into its chest. People infected with Haishaku hate pleasant smells and foul smells, but are fond of strong, fishy smells. Other symptoms include extreme sadness and a craving for spicy food. Gentle, shallow acupuncture is an effective treatment. Kakuran-no-mushi, a worm with a black head and red body, invades the stomach and causes vomiting and diarrhea. It is known to come up into the host's mouth and poke its head out. Try to grab it, and you choke for air, but let go and it returns peacefully to the stomach. The herbs goshuyu (Euodia rutaecarpa), shazenshi and mokko are useful in fighting Kakuran-no-mushi. 'Koshi-no-mushi' Koshi-no-mushi flies into a host's body and makes its way to the lower back area, where it causes diarrhea, sweating and chest pains. The herbs mokko and kanzo (licorice root) are an effective treatment. 'Hishaku & Hinosha' Hishaku is found in the spleen, most often in females. Symptoms include an overpowering appetite for sweets, a yellowish complexion, and a tendency to hum. It can be stopped with acupuncture around the navel. Hinoshu, also found in the spleen, looks like a rock and remains dormant inside the body until the host visits a crowded sightseeing area, at which time Hinoshu causes dizziness by thrashing about and creating the sensation of rocks crashing against each other. Acupuncture is an effective treatment. #7 Ghost Insects There have been two sightings of "ghost insects" in Britain, one involving the creature nearly colliding with a woman's face, only being seen for less than a second, and the other being a centipede-like animal seen hovering outside of an apartment building at dawn. As soon as the light began to get strong, it took off faster than the eye could follow. I have been the first to liken these two reports to the "rods" seen all across the world (discussed at the bottom of the page). #6 Giant Freshwater Crustaceans Giant crabs or lobsters inhabiting the area around Wallowa Lake appear heavily in the tales of early settlers to Oregon. Although no true lobsters live on the Pacific coast (only spiny lobsters, or langoustes), there are many large crabs. but these freshwater crabs would even exceed the largest known crabs, genus Godzillius, in size. I think it is very possible that these things did exist, but according to the records the crustaceans just plain disapeared. no one knows whether they merely died, or if they migrated somewhere else. perhaps someone should investigate any remote areas of the Pacific North West in hopes of finding them. A giant crab should be easier to find than a giant ape. #5 Mulilo A giant slug-like animal reported from the Congo Rain forest and nearby areas in Zaire and Zambia. My personal opinion is that this is some kind of oversiezed gastropod, perhaps related to normal terrestrial slugs, or perhaps evolved seperately from another gastropod line. could also be some completley other kind of animal which has a somewhat slug-like appearence. A common legend in Western North America are the skookums (skookum = strong), large tentacled animals which live in lakes. A man who visited a lake in Williamette Valley, Oregon, saw wht he described as "an orange body with two long, thin, black tentacles". the body allegedly looked like an air-sack of some kind. to me, this ceems like it may be some sort of cephalopod, or if not at least another form of mollusc which developed large tentacles. a relative of snails, perhaps? #4 Con Rit Con Rit is name given to Cryptid from Vietnam, it is a Great Sea Centipede live in south east Vietnam sea, its body has many segment covered with armored plates, its move with fin like fish to swim, initial research of the Con Rit was conducted by Dr. A. Krempf, director of the Oceanographic and Fisheries Service of Indo China, in the 1920’s. During his researcher Dr. Kremph interviewed an eyewitness who reportedly touched a beached Con Rit in 1883. #3 Madagascar "mega-moth" & Mongolian Death Worm When Charles Darwin discovered a species of flower with an exceptionally deep corolla, he hypothesised that a species of hawk moth would be discovered with a proboscis long enough to reach the nectar, and thus pollinate the plant. such a moth was indeed discovered. Many years later, a very rare flower with an even deeper corolla was discovered, and once again a moth was hypothised, this one needing a proboscis somewhere between 14 and 18 inches long. Such a moth has yet to be found and it may even be extinct as the flower hasn't been seen since. The Mongolian Death Worm's native name, Olgoi-Khorkhoi, means "intestine worm", due to its red blood-like color, and size, which is the size of an intestine. It has been described by many to be from five to two feet long, have the ability to spit out toxic poisons or stomatch acid from its body to make it unappealing to predators, or self defence. The worm, described by numeous locals, changes its pigment to a bright yellow when threatened, and then attacks any human or larger prey at this state, and, with its several lawers of teeth, it "drills" itself into its prey's body, eating it from the inside, like a sea lamprey eats its prey. Although some belive the Mongolian Death Worm to be a leggless reptile, this reptilian description does not match the descriptions of the local reports. The Mongolian Death Worm is a fat, red, deadly snake-like monster that looks similar to a cow’s innards. This giant worm, measuring up to four feet long, can kill people instantly. How it does it, no one knows. Some believe it spits a lethal toxin, others say it emits a massive electrical charge. However, it kills its victims quickly, and can do it from a distance. Western culture has come to call this monster the "Mongolian Death Worm." Mongolian nomads believe the giant worm covers its prey with an acidic substance that turns everything a corroded yellow colour. Legend says that as the creature begins to attack it raises half its body out of the sand and starts to inflate until it explodes, releasing the lethal poison all over the unfortunate victim. The poison is so venomous that the prey dies instantly. Because Mongolia had been under Soviet control until 1990, very little was known about the Death Worm in the West. In recent years, investigators have been able to look for evidence of the creature’s existence. Ivan Mackerle, one of the leading Loch Ness Monster detectives, studied the region and interviewed many Mongolian people about the worm. Due to the sheer volume of sightings and strange deaths, he came to the conclusion that the Death Worm was more than just legend. Nobody is entirely sure what the worm actually is. Experts are certain it is not a real worm because the Gobi Desert is too hot an area for annelids to survive. Some have suggested it might be a skink, but they have little legs and scaly skin whereas witness accounts specify the worm is limb-less and smooth bodied. The most probable explanation is that it is a type of venomous snake. Although the native Mongolian people are convinced of the Death Worm’s nature, it will take more years of research to satisfy the rest of the world’s scientific community. Category:Blog posts